Bittu Tabahi Leads Turahalli Forest Clean-Up, Uncovers Hazardous Waste

On a Saturday morning in Bengaluru, environmental activist Surendra Singh Choudhary—known as Bittu Tabahi—joined a volunteer team to clear waste along Turahalli Forest, near Banashankari 6th Stage. Organized by The Indian Garage Co with Indus Herbs and supported by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the four-hour drive began at 8 a.m. and removed more than two tonnes of waste, requiring a backhoe and a JCB to excavate deep-buried material. Volunteers uncovered piles of poultry waste, sanitary waste, plastic, and, unexpectedly, dog carcasses and medical waste hidden beneath the plastic heaps.

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Bittu Tabahi first gained attention after a solo effort to clean the polluted Ajnar River in Biaora, Madhya Pradesh. Beginning on January 26, the 21-year-old BSc student spent roughly Rs 30,000 of his own money on tools, clearing three major ghats despite lacking protective gear. His documentation attracted praise from industrialist Anand Mahindra, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen, and led to a job offer from The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch organization founded by Boyan Slat.

MP’s ‘Bittu Tabahi’ joins Bengaluru forest cleanup drive with environmentalist AN Yellappa Reddy

• Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) provided logistical support, including the deployment of a backhoe to handle large waste piles.

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• “No matter where you go, we lack civic sense. Keeping our surroundings clean is the least of our priorities. Initially, I thought it would be only plastic waste, but as I started clearing it, I was stunned to find dog carcasses and medical waste underneath the plastic heaps,” — Bittu Tabahi.

'I was stunned': 'Bittu Tabahi' finds dog carcasses, medical waste along Turahalli forest in Bengaluru

• “I started alone as I could no longer sit idly by, waiting for someone else to come forward and lead the cause,” — Bittu Tabahi.

After restoring Ajnar river, Bittu Tabahi now takes his drive beyond MP

The Turahalli clean-up highlights ongoing waste-dumping practices in a city marketed as “the tech capital of India.” The discovery of medical waste and animal carcasses points to gaps in hazardous-waste enforcement and raises public-health concerns for nearby communities. The involvement of a high-profile youth activist has amplified awareness, encouraging other young citizens to organize similar grassroots clean-ups.

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After the Bengaluru drive, Bittu Tabahi posted an Instagram video announcing his job offer from The Ocean Cleanup and inviting followers to suggest his next clean-up destination. Comments listed states such as Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra, indicating demand for similar interventions. He plans to travel to additional states to replicate the Turahalli model of community-led waste removal.

Bittu Tabahi who cleaned river on his own shares his next step after Dutch job offer